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SOURCE OF DEADLY TOMATO BLIGHT WAS THE COMPOST PILE
I purposely planted my tomatoes in pots so I could eliminate the tomato blight that plagued the previous site. Most tomato fungus problems are soil borne and will occur year after year once the disease is present in soil. Many gardeners choose a new site for tomatoes each year.
My mistake this year was to fill the large tomato planter pots with a blend of soil that included compost from my compost bin. Can you guess one of the plants that I disposed of in my compost bin in recent falls? Of course, the blight-infected tomato plants! And since tomato blight disease spores survive the winter in plant debris, it was present this spring in the pot soil as the tomatoes began growing.
The most common tomato disease is septoria leaf spot. Septoria infects the lower portion of the plant after fruit is set. Spores become active during wet periods and are splashed from the ground upwards when it rains. As the disease progresses, septoria infects leaves in the upper canopy as well as the stems, petioles and fruit.
My plan for next year is to grow tomatoes in pots again, but I'll make sure the soil is sterilized and does not contain any composted tomato plants.
Deb Brown, University of Minnesota extension horticulturalist, offers this advice for August gardeners:
Fill bare spots in your vegetable garden by seeding leaf lettuce, radishes, green onions and spinach by mid-August. Work fertilizer into the soil, mulch with two inches of grass clippings or chipped leaves, and water regularly.
Continue to weed your gardens. Weeds compete with flowers and vegetables for valuable moisture and nutrients. They may also harbor insects that transmit plant diseases. And they'll certainly drop seeds into the soil that will cause more work for you next year.
Don't wait until autumn to water evergreen trees and shrubs. They need water throughout the growing season to come through winter in the best possible condition.
Fertilize roses once in August, then stop. Fertilizing too late in the season keeps them growing actively and could interfere with normal hardening off for winter.
Lift and divide late spring-flowering perennials such as iris, peonies and oriental poppies. You can also divide hosta lilies and woodland ferns. Replant them as soon as you're able.
Check local nurseries or garden centers for potted outdoor chrysanthemums. They transplant very well this time of year and will give your garden some added oomph in autumn when most plants are winding down.
Browse through mail order catalogs for spring-flowering bulbs. The sooner you place your order, the better the selection. If bulbs arrive too early, store them in a dry location until you're ready to plant.
Re-pot houseplants that have put on lots of new growth this summer, either indoors or out. That way they'll have several more weeks of good growing conditions in which to become reestablished in their new containers before days grow much shorter and light is less available.
Mid- to late August is an excellent time to plant flowering perennials as long as you're able to water them frequently and mulch them at frost. Here are some perennial plants of the year to look for - these are recommended for their beauty and all-around performance:
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm,' a brilliantly colored black-eyed susan.
Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus," a purple coneflower with large petals held more horizontally than the unimproved species.
Salvia 'May Night' (or 'Mainacht'), a salvia with spikes of red-violet flowers.
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red,' a penstemon with lovely maroon foliage.
Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian sage.
Astilbe 'Sprite,' a small-stature plant with feathery pink flower spikes.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam,' a plant that produces dozens of small, pale yellow daisy like blossoms all summer.
If you visit the Minnesota State Fair this year, stop by the horticultural science display and trial garden one block north of the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus (corners of Gortner and Folwell streets). Created entirely by students, the garden is open to the public seven days a week, and it's free! Besides wonderful annual and perennial flowers, the 120,000 sq. ft. garden features decks, patios, ponds and water plants, walkways and seating areas.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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